Last week I painted en Plein Air at the Old Mill in San Marino.  I forgot to apply bug repellent on my legs or even to bring some along...unusual for me!  As I was painting I felt stinging on my legs as if something was eating me alive but I couldn't see any bugs.  No spiders or ants or even flys were on y legs.  The next morning however the truth was evident.  I had 6 bites on my legs and ankles. 

They were definitely spider bites and they got very large and ugly.  They even blistered a little and looked somewhat infected.  I almost went to the doctor but decided to give myself one more day to see if they would get worse.  I used almost an entire tube of neosporin. The itching was horrendous and painful.

So what did I learn?  Always bring bug spray and wear bug repellent when Plein Air painting!!

Jennifer McChristian's Sedona workshop last week was amazing.  I met lots of interesting, talented artists from all over the country.  Many are professional artists who give their own workshops...Carol Marine, Becky Joy, James Coulter to name a few.  One guy named Geoff does paintings for place mats, coasters and tea towels.  I bought a tea towel of his at the Cucina Store in Tluacapaque Village! 

On Wednesday we all went to Jerome, AZ to paint.  For those who don't know about Jerome, it is an old mining town on the top of a mountain overlooking the Verde Valley.  There are tremdous views from all over Jerome...all two blocks of it! 

The weather was extreme.  Rain, wind, and even snow.  It was literally freezing cold!  I didn't realize that oil paints get get stiff in the freezing cold weather.  It was really difficult to work the paint on the canvas when it gets that cold outside!  

Having a great time painting in Sedona!  Beautiful weather, nice friends and the scenery!

Recently I was asked to donate a painting in support of the 2010 Elizabeth House Benefit Gala, Where Love Embraces Life. Elizabeth House is a women’s residential shelter located in Pasadena which provides housing, food, prenatal health care, job skills training and much more for pregnant, homeless women. The 2010 Elizabeth House Benefit Gala will be on the evening of March 20, 2010 at The University Club of Pasadena. Radio talk show host Mr. Hugh Hewitt is this year’s guest speaker.

The Benefit Gala includes a silent auction where my painting will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The painting I donated is a 9 x 12 linen on panel oil painting entitled "Vista of Splendor" which is framed and ready for hanging. It is a view of the Main Vista at the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino, CA with a view of the San Gabriel Mountains in the background. Since last Fall I have had the wonderful opportunity to sketch, draw and paint at the Huntington Gardens every Tuesday.

If you are interested in attending the Gala or want more information about Elizabeth House please log onto www.elizabethhouse.net or contact Martiza Smith at smith_martiza@yahoo.com.

I am still thinking a lot about Haiti and what is going on there.  I get news alerts everyday so I know that the situation is getting worse for many of the people.  I painted this a few days ago.  It's not a pretty picture for us to look at, but this is what the people who live in the slums of Port-au-Prince see everyday.  Black pigs scour the slums for scraps of food or something to eat.  People - men, women and children - also scour the slums for scraps of food or something to eat.  They are always hungry!

Since the devastating earthquake struck Port-au-Prince on January 12, many people have asked me how I feel seeing the horrifying pictures and destruction after the quake hit. After all, I visited Haiti twice in the past decade and have been involved fundraising for the people in the two large slums of Port-au-Prince - Cite Soleil and La Saline - for the past ten years. It is heartbreaking… utterly heartbreaking! I know that the people I have painted…people I spoke to, children to whom I served meals and people who befriended me may now be gone. 

 I know that the Little Haiti Boy may not be alive. When I was painting him I never dreamed he might be subjected to the terror and obliteration of a major earthquake. Yet, at the same time, I did know he would definitely have a difficult life almost certainly filled with hunger and, at times, despair. But, in my heart, I knew he was a happy little boy as all the children of Haiti are. Their smiles, filled with joy and cheerfulness, are contagious! When you see their smiling faces you naturally want to smile back!     

I remember first seeing the ghastly slums of La Saline and Cite Soleil. I was filled with shock, sadness and amazement all at the same time. I was aghast and saddened that any person could live in such deplorable conditions, but at the same time wondering how the people can be happy and smiling. Don’t they know the horrible conditions they live in? No, not really, and this was before the earthquake! I don’t think the Haitians totally understand the wretchedness of their country.   Of course they wish they had more - all people have hopes and dreams - but the Haitian people, especially the slum people, only know that when they or their children are hungry or thirsty life is unpleasant. These days after the earthquake, most Haitian people are on survival mode needing the simple basics for continued existence - food, water and shelter. As long as they can get food and water to keep them alive, they are happy.